UBCM calls on expansion of free transit program for all high school students

Should B.C.’s free transit program be expanded to children up to Grade 12?

As it stands, kids 12 and under can ride transit for free under the Get on Board program anywhere in B.C., but a resolution passed at the annual Union of BC Municipalities convention Thursday has called on the province to secure permanent funding to expand that to include high schoolers.

New Westminster City Councillor Daniel Fontaine says the move would just make good sense.

“I do ask the question, what’s the difference between a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old? The 13-year-old doesn’t get free transit,” he said.

“So from a public policy perspective, I’m not sure it quite went far enough with the 12-year-olds.”

Fontaine says expanding the program would do a lot to boost transit ridership.

“The research will show that they continue that pattern of behaviour pretty much throughout their entire life, so it’s not like transit is something foreign to them that they aren’t comfortable riding or using,” he said.

“It’s just a part of their normal life.”

District of Saanich Coun. Teale Phelps Bondaroff drafted the resolution presented at the meeting.

“A couple of dollars every day to get to school, to get to work, to extracurricular activity, to see family members — that’s a lot of money,” said Phelps Bondaroff.

“It adds up.”

Other municipalities and school districts have already passed motions in support of free transit for teens, including the Vancouver School Board and the City of New Westminster.

While TransLink is already looking to make up for a $600 million budget shortfall, the province has made no commitments to expand the current free transit program to include older teenagers at this time. However, Premier David Eby says the NDP will have more to say about funding for transit in the upcoming election campaign.

— With files from Cole Shisler and Cecilia Hua.